Friday, September 9, 2011

Washington (CNN) -- American spy networks have intercepted communications from an al Qaeda operative in Pakistan indicating plans for a terrorist strike in New York or Washington, according to a senior U.S. official.

The communications come from a source who has provided accurate information in the past, the official said, prompting intelligence officials to sift through communications from other al Qaeda cells.

No other corroborating evidence of an attack has been uncovered, the official added.But the information indicates the plan -- thought to involve a vehicle-borne explosive device -- is meant to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Intelligence officials said they have picked up "chatter," or widely divergent communications, from extremists that suggest the newly tapped al Qaeda head, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is in some way involved in the current plot.

Meanwhile, heightened security was visible Friday in New York and Washington as intelligence officials worked to pin down information about the potential threat and federal and local law enforcement fanned out across both cities. Police checkpoints jammed Manhattan streets, causing traffic delays.

A senior U.S. official said the plot was believed to involve three individuals, including a U.S. citizen. It is believed to entail a vehicle bomb, but "we cannot rule out other means."

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden also weighed in Friday, saying the information was at least in part gleaned from the May raid against al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden."This is the first ... credible piece of information we've gotten," Biden told NBC's "Today" show. "All hands are on deck."

U.S. officials rarely speak on the record about intelligence intercepts.And in the days following the raid on bin Laden's compound, U.S. officials indicated al Qaeda had gone to great lengths to avoid having its communications intercepted by the United States.While the precise nature of communication intercepts is rarely discussed, U.S. officials repeatedly have indicated their comfort with sharing the results of those intercepts.

It is not clear how the bin Laden raid helped authorities connect the dots to the prospect of an anniversary attack, but Biden downplayed the threat of a widely sophisticated plot involving multiple conspirators.Wings for the fallen: 9/11 in metal 9/11 memorial takes shape First responders form 'cancer club' Being funny after 9/11

Washington, DCHe said the administration's principal concern from a "lone actor, not some extremely complicated plan like it took to take down the World Trade (Center) towers or the plane in Shanksville (Pennsylvania) or the Pentagon."He added, "It doesn't mean they couldn't happen, but it's much less likely. The lone actor is the more worrisome thing because there are fewer trails to follow, there are fewer leads to move on."

On Friday morning, police officers stopped and searched box trucks as they approached the George Washington Bridge, which links New Jersey with New York, as well as by the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn.Police also manned checkpoints in Midtown and downtown Manhattan, where they examined vehicles, particularly vans and trucks, for possible bombs."That's something we've always been concerned about, the introduction of a radioactive isotope, a dirty bomb," said New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne.

New York police also are sweeping parking garages for explosives and using digital license plate readers to check for stolen vehicles, Browne said. While security would normally have been raised for the anniversary of 9/11, he added, the vehicle checkpoints were a response to the threat alert.

A senior U.S. administration official said Friday that it is the "origin" of the intelligence information that is causing particular concern.The "working assumption" is that if the plot is genuine, then some individuals involved in it already have entered the United States, the official said. But he stressed they cannot confirm that has happened.

U.S. officials believe operatives came out of the tribal Pakistan-Afghanistan border region -- a volatile semilawless area home to extremist groups -- and that they are part of al Qaeda "central," he said.

The official also noted a possibility that Pakistan-based groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba or Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan could be involved.And yet a separate senior law enforcement official involved in briefings about the matter told CNN his best information is that the three individuals had not yet entered the United States.

A senior White House official said President Barack Obama had been updated about the potential threat after his speech Thursday night to a joint session of Congress, and White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan briefed him again Friday.

No changes have been made to the president's schedule for Friday or the weekend.Asadullah Khalid, Afghanistan's minister of borders and tribal affairs, said no recent intelligence suggests a possible attack on the United States.New York City Michael Bloomberg told reporters Thursday night that while additional police will be deployed around the city, "There's no reason for any of the rest of us to change ... our daily routines."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged residents to be cautious but said, "There is no reason to panic."

Another senior federal law enforcement official involved in counterterrorism efforts told CNN that authorities "aren't sure if this is or real or just chatter."A joint intelligence bulletin issued by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security indicated other methods than a truck or car bomb could be used, including attacks with small arms, homemade explosive devices and poisons.

Al Qaeda probably would provide its operatives with enough autonomy to select the particular target and method of attack, the bulletin said, and an attack may involve operatives carrying U.S. documentation.

Intelligence officials believe al Qaeda "likely maintained an interest since at least February 2010 in conducting large attacks in the Homeland timed to coincide with symbolic dates, to include the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks," the document said.

Bin Laden's death and the "removal" of senior al Qaeda figures since then could add to the organization's desire to stage an attack on a symbolic date such as September 11, the bulletin said.

In Washington, local officials said the city has a robust plan in place and has been on heightened alert since September 1.

"I want to urge all of our citizens ... to remain calm and let our law enforcement professionals do their job. At the same time, we ask people to remain vigilant," Mayor Vincent Gray said. "If you see something, say something."Unattended vehicles around key infrastructure will be towed, Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

Federal officials said they were taking the threat seriously, while trying to temper the news by saying such threats are commonplace in connection with key dates.Rep. Peter King, R-New York, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said specific details were revealed to lawmakers about the threat. "Many agencies are looking at this from every possible angle," he said.

But it is not known yet if the threat is real, he said, adding, "I would tell people now to go about their lives. There's no need to panic."Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters Thursday that intelligence officials had picked up "lots of chatter" on jihadi websites and elsewhere about the impending 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks "and we're taking it all seriously," but nothing yet that warranted issuing a threat advisory.Nonetheless, she said, the department will be at a heightened level of readiness as the nation commemorates the anniversary, "staffing up" the Federal Air Marshal Service and other agencies.

UPDATE FOX NEWS: WASHINGTON – U.S. officials are urging Americans to go about their business over the Sept. 11 weekend, but to be alert after federal authorities sent out a warning late Thursday of a "specific, credible" threat targeting New York and Washington.

U.S. intelligence officials told Fox News that the threat is specific to car bombs at bridges and tunnels. Officials have warned about the possibility of individuals already being in the United States and sources told Fox News that they are on the lookout for two or three possible suspects.Related Video

Vice President Joe Biden on Friday confirmed a tip from a credible source, but said "there's no certitude" that anyone had traveled into the U.S. for a bomb plot. "The thing we are all most worried about is what they call a 'lone ranger,' a lone actor, not some extremely complicated plan like it took to take down the World Trade towers," said Biden, who appeared on three morning news shows.President Obama was first briefed Thursday morning about the threat, and was updated through the day, source told Fox News. Officials were planning on providing another briefing to the president on Friday.

The White House issued a statement saying the threat was specific and credible, but also "unconfirmed."

“The president directed the counterterrorism community to redouble its efforts in response to this credible but unconfirmed information," a White House official told Fox News.

Law enforcement officials already have been on alert for any potential threats timed to the commemorative events marking 10 years since the Sept. 11, terror attacks, but intelligence on the threat identified Thursday was described by one official as noteworthy for seeming "more than aspirational."Another senior U.S. official with knowledge of the threat said it was "specific enough to elicit worry."

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security were drafting a bulletin Thursday night to send to local law enforcement across the country."We have a duty to warn,” the senior U.S. official said.New York and Washington, D.C., law enforcement were taking extra steps to maintain vigilance in the face of the new alerts.

Sgt. Kim Schneider, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Capitol Police, said people on the Capitol Grounds or in the area of the U.S. Capitol will notice "visible strategic security enhancements including more officers on patrol (uniformed and undercover), more police cruisers in the field, and enhanced deployments of our specialty units --" such as K9, bomb squad, Hazmat, and SWAT.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. Andrew Cuomo advised New Yorkers should go about their business and said the city's planned observance on Sunday will go on as scheduled.

"All New Yorkers should be cautious and aware as we prepare to commemorate the 9/11 anniversary," Cuomo said in a statement. "However, there is no reason to panic or allow our spirit of freedom to be dampened as we get ready to celebrate the opening of the Ground Zero site this weekend."

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the New York police will be taking additional precautions in response to the terror threat, including increasing its patrol by a third, setting up vehicle checkpoints and working closely with the FBI to gain any additional intelligence.

In Washington, police are working 12-hour shifts, and Police Chief Cathy Lanier said unattended cars parked in unusual locations risked being towed.Details provided to Fox News suggested that chatter had indicated the possible suspects were tied to Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the successor to al Qaeda's Usama bin Laden after U.S. SEALs took out bin Laden in the spring in Abbottabad, Pakistan. U.S. forces found several items in bin Laden's compound suggesting aspirational plans for an attack timed to coincide with the Sept. 11 anniversary. Authorities have received a "general description" of two or three possible suspects but don't necessarily have names, one source said.

The person who provided the intelligence is known to the U.S. intelligence community and "has a track record," one source said.

U.S. officials had been saying for days that there is no known credible threat related to the 10th Sept. 11 since the attacks. But when asked Thursday by reporters whether that’s still the case, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano seemed to hesitate.

"It is still the case that we don't have something that would reach that standard, but we still have lots of chatter out there. And we take every bit of that seriously and track it down," Napolitano said. "The date is important because it's 9/11. But as I said, in the intel world there's lots of chatter and we're taking it all seriously."Should there be something that rises to the level where I have to issue a threat advisory, we will issue a threat advisory."

One source emphasized that authorities found themselves in a similar scenario on the eve of Obama's inauguration in January 2009, when intelligence suggested a specific threat against the inaugural events. Federal authorities reacted swiftly, but in the end the intelligence turned out to be bogus.

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. officials have "specific, credible but unconfirmed" information about a potential al Qaeda threat against the United States coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"We have received credible information very recently about a possible plot directed at the homeland that seems to be focused on New York and Washington, D.C.," a senior administration official told CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr Thursday.

The official said the plot was believed to involve three individuals, including a U.S. citizen. U.S. officials believed the threat was a vehicle laden with explosives, but "the intelligence picture is not completely formed," the official said. "Not enough is known about the potential operatives and their plotting."

The threat is believed to entail a vehicle bomb, but "we cannot rule out other means," a U.S. official said.

A senior law enforcement official involved in briefings about the matter told CNN Justice Department Producer Terry Frieden that his best information is that the three individuals had not yet entered the United States.

The information came in around noon Wednesday, one official said.A senior federal law enforcement official intimately involved in counterterrorism efforts told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King authorities "aren't sure if this is or real or just chatter."The official confirmed the threat was vehicle-related as did a joint intelligence bulletin issued by the FBI and Homeland Security that CNN obtained from a government official.

And while this specific threat report indicated that al Qaeda may be considering an attack using a car or truck bomb, the bulletin also confirmed that other methods could be used, including attacks with small-arms, homemade explosive devices, and poisons.

Al Qaeda would probably provide its operatives with enough autonomy to select the particular target and method of attack, the bulletin says.

The bulletin, which is issued to federal, state and local authorities, guides and cautions law enforcement on how to respond to potential threats.New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters Thursday night that while additional police will be deployed around the city, "There's no reason for any of the rest of us to change ... our daily routines."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged residents to be cautious, but said "there is no reason to panic."Friday morning, police officers were seen stopping and searching box trucks as they approached the George Washington Bridge, which links New Jersey with New York City.In addition to the September terrorist attacks, New York was the scene of a botched Times Square car bombing in May 2010 by Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad, who was sentenced to life in prison in October.

In Washington, local officials said the city has a robust plan in place and has been on heightened alert since September 1.

"I want to urge all of our citizens ... to remain calm and let our law enforcement professionals do their job. At the same time, we ask people to remain vigilant," Mayor Vincent Gray said. "If you see something, say something."Unattended vehicles around key infrastructure will be towed, Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

Federal officials said they were taking the threat seriously, while evidently trying to temper the news by saying such threats are commonplace during key events.

"It's accurate that there is specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information," said Matthew Chandler, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security. "As we always do before important dates like the anniversary of 9/11, we will undoubtedly get more reporting in the coming days. Sometimes this reporting is credible and warrants intense focus, other times it lacks credibility and is highly unlikely to be reflective of real plots under way.

"Regardless, we take all threat reporting seriously, and we have taken, and will continue to take, all steps necessary to mitigate any threats that arise. We continue to ask the American people to remain vigilant as we head into the weekend," Chandler said in a prepared statement.

A Department of Homeland Security official, speaking on background, said, "We will continue to respond appropriately to protect the American people from an evolving threat picture in the coming days and beyond. This may include an increased law enforcement presence at airports and other transit hubs, land and sea ports of entry, federal buildings, and other high-profile and critical infrastructure locations."

The information originated from the tribal border area of Pakistan and Afghanistan, a federal official told CNN producer Mike Ahlers.

Asadullah Khalid, Afghanistan's minister of borders and tribal affairs, told CNN Friday that there is no recent intelligence to suggest a possible attack on the United States.Another source gave CNN conflicting information about possible details of the threat.Rep. Peter King, R-New York, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said very specific details were made known to lawmakers about the threat. "Many agencies are looking at this from every possible angle," he said.

But it is not known yet if the threat is real, he said, adding, "I would tell people now to go about their lives. There's no need to panic."

A senior administration official with firsthand knowledge told CNN National Security Contributor Fran Townsend that although there is "specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information," there are a lot of questions about this information -- "weird things."

A federal law enforcement official told CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti that the threat appears to go beyond intelligence gathered from Osama bin Laden's compound after he was killed by Navy SEALs. That information talked about aspirations to carry out an attack on U.S. interests on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

"The president was briefed," a senior administration official said. "He directed that the intelligence community and the administration take all necessary steps to ensure vigilance."Earlier Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters that intelligence officials had picked up "lots of chatter" on jihadi websites and elsewhere about the impending 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks "and we're taking it all seriously," but nothing yet that warranted issuing a threat advisory.

Nonetheless, the department will be at a heightened level of readiness as the nation commemorates the anniversary, "staffing up" the Federal Air Marshals Service and other agencies, she said.Napolitano said it is not uncommon to see increased chatter before major events. "We know it's an iconic day to al Qaeda, in part because of what was found at the (Osama bin Laden) compound. So we are preparing accordingly," she said.

"I don't want to give those (details) out because I don't want to tell the bad guys exactly what we're doing," Napolitano said. "But I think it's fair to say that in addition to asking citizens to be vigilant and so forth, that we have ourselves leaned forward and have made sure that we are doing all that we can from the DHS perspective."